You rock Jennifer! I've been talking vegan to a friend of mine with a newborn for over a year, but your blog helped to convince her that she can do it! She is so excited.Keep up the good work!-a vegan in Flint Mi

Jennifer,I am SO glad you are writing during the summer. I had really grown fond of this wonderful blog, and was hoping you'd do a few more posts. I even bought my daughter a Laptop Lunchbox, and used it myself at work today. Your recipes are yummy and the way you are so mindful of the simple moments with your son are a true inspiration!Carolyn K.

Hi! I am glad to see you are still posting over the summer. I have a suggestion for your cookbook, or future posts. Maybe you could consider including the preparation time or make ahead tips for the dishes you describe here. I mean, only if you want to. You clearly love to cook creatively, and it seems to me you spend a lot of time doing so and this blog is an adjunct to your lifestyle. So I don't mean to suggest that you do anything differently if you don't feel like it. But my own experience was that, while I enjoyed logging in every day to see Schmoo's lunch, very few of them seemed to me to be within the realm of something I would actually have time to make for my own children's lunch (assuming I wanted to spend only fifteen minutes or so preparing it in the morning or the night before). A lot of the vegetarian cookbooks I've read recently offer time management tips as well as preparation shortcuts (Nava Atlas seems particularly attuned to this). This is just a suggestion that I thought might make your ideas even more accessible to a greater number of people. Maybe you could think of it as a new challenge? I dare you to create a fabulous meal in 20 minutes or less. Go! :)

I am a huge fan and I mean this in only the most constructive way. I hope you have a fabulous summer.

I noticed you said you were vegan on and off. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I only buy free range or organic eggs. I was wondering where one could find out more information on the treatment of these chickens?

I would hate to think I am only helping myself (the chickens aren't cannibals, thus healthier for me, etc)by buying free range. I do it for myself and the chickens. ;-)

menmyteddy13-- Unfortunately, "free range" or "organic" hens are still force molted (shocked into laying cycles by being deprived of food and water), and still slaughtered brutally at a very young age. "Free range" generally only ensures some access to the outdoors, but with no regulations on the size of this access. Thus, these hens are most likely still subjected to cramped, filthy conditions for their short, brutal lives, while male chicks are still often ground up alived or gassed. That's not to say "organic" or "free range" isn't better than traditional eggs from battery cages, but the best thing you can do for the chickens is to not consume eggs, period.

You can find more information simply by Googling ""free range" organic eggs." I reccomend http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/animals.html for more information about farm animals.

And Jennifer-- I would -so- buy a kale eating action figure. Yay for being a veggie hero!

Wow, wont hubby be happy we've been paying 3Xs the typical price of eggs for not much difference to the hens. (Mind you he eats meat and doesn't care. He watched meat your meat while eatting a hamburger if this tells you anything)

But atleast they're better for us. We go through a dozen or less a month anyway.

I'm sad to say that I have only just come across your blog, which I found through vegcooking.com, however, I will definitely enjoy reading through all the posts. I think any child, vegean or not, would thoroughly enjoy having you as their mum :) School lunches never looked so good.

I came upon your blog by accident while looking for tuno. I have been on the hunt for Tuno for what seems like forever. I finally broke down and decided to try and order it from Worthington foods directly and it is DISCONTINUED. I have been veg for fourteen years and a tuna sandwhich on toast is the only thing I miss after all this time.

I just wanted to let you know that I think your site is awesome! I have decided to go Veggie and I am trying to go Vegan (This has been the hard one for me!) and you have definetly gave me some yummy food ideas. My daughter is 2 and is allergic to milk and soy so right now she can only drink Rice Dream, do you have any recipes that would work into her diet? Can I just replace some of the soy with rice products? Thanks for all your help.

first: jennifer, you totally rock!second: for kate, i too miss tuna (and very rarely actually undulge the urge) but found tuno to be absolutely disgusting. if you've never had it before believe me, you're missing nothing. HOWEVER, you are missing out if you've not had asmar's veg (it's vegan) tuna salad! it's made locally so i'm not sure whether or not all whole foods markets carry it, but you can check it out (and possibly order it?) here. i like it on toast with maple mustard, avocado and grape tomato slices. mmm...

I have lurked on your site for the whole school year. I have been a vegetarian for 11 years now, and I have decided to start transitioning to a vegan diet. I have come to realize I am not doing the animals in factory farms (although as said above I do buy organic eggs) much good by merely not eatting them while I continue to consume eggs and cheese.

I am looking forward to your cook book even more now, I hope it will be the first of many. I also hope perhaps the Lunch Box will return next year, even if you do homeschool. Thank you for your inspiration to us all.